Residents take call at Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) only.
Residents are responsible for planned admissions to the inpatient unit if they arrive after regular business hours. They provide psychiatric evaluation and consultation for patients presenting to the emergency room and consults in the hospital. A call room is provided.
Our call system is divided into 12 and 14 hour shifts. PGY-1's take short (day) call lasting 14 hours during their 5 inpatient months. PGY-2's also provide short call coverage during PCMH inpatient months. PGY-1, PGY-2, and PGY-3 residents also share in providing night float coverage lasting 12 hours approximately 2 months out of the year. PGY-4 residents provide emergency back up call and all residents participate in weekend coverage.
In the first months of the academic year the more senior residents serve as "buddies" and work beside the PGY-1 residents in order to smooth their transition into the psychiatry program. Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics call is similar. All interns are assigned to the PCMH inpatient psychiatry service for the first block of the year in order to transition into residency.
Call is supervised by faculty who are available to discuss all cases, provide teaching and assist the resident with decision making. We consider call to be an important learning experience for residents. In addition to the supervision provided by the attending on call, a senior resident and attending review emergency room cases with residents the morning following their call night. This gives residents an opportunity to review their clinical work as well as to learn about systems issues, ethical dilemmas and legal concerns that often arise when on call or providing consultation services.
